Cheryl Fernandez-Versini to 'Miss X Factor Live Shows'

Singer and presenter said to have throat infection

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini could miss Saturday's X Factor due to an illness, according to reports.

The Daily Mail says that the 31-year-old singer is thought to be suffering from strep throat – a bacterial infection that attacks the tonsils and larynx. Her condition is believed to have worsened over the last 24 hours.

This illness has left her appearance on the ITV show talent show this weekend – when two contestants will be eliminated from the competition, one on Saturday and another on Sunday – in serious doubt, the newspaper reports.

The illness is said to have meant Cheryl has been unable to attend rehearsals at the Fountain Studios in Wembley, where 17-year-old Lauren Platt – her last remaining act – has been preparing for this weekend's live shows.

Cheryl has shed doubt over her future with the show, after admitting in an interview that she would quit the show if she and husband Jean-Bernard become parents.